Monthly Archives: June 2013

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“I am a self taught amateur photographer from Slovakia. I started with photography in September 2011 and it has become my passion. I love to explore the world around me and see it in many different ways, especially those tiny bits that often go unnoticed. That’s why macro photography is an enchanting world for me worth to explore…” ~ Mia Minor

The story of this nanny who has now wowed the world with her photography, and who incidentally recorded some of the most interesting marvels and peculiarities of Urban America in the second half of the twentieth century is seemingly beyond belief. An American of French and Austro-Hungarian extraction, Vivian bounced between Europe and the United States before coming back to New York City in 1951. Having picked up photography just two years earlier, she would comb the streets of the Big Apple refining her artistic craft. By 1956 Vivian left the East Coast for Chicago, where she’d spend most of the rest of her life working as a caregiver. In her leisure Vivian would shoot photos that she zealously hid from the eyes of others. Taking snapshots into the late 1990′s, Maier would leave behind a body of work comprising over 100,000 negatives. Additionally Vivian’s passion for documenting extended to a series of homemade documentary films and audio recordings. Interesting bits of Americana, the demolition of historic landmarks for new development, the unseen lives of ethnics and the destitute, as well as some of Chicago’s most cherished sites were all meticulously catalogued by Vivian Maier.

A free spirit but also a proud soul, Vivian became poor and was ultimately saved by three of the children she had nannied earlier in her life. Fondly remembering Maier as a second mother, they pooled together to pay for an apartment and took the best of care for her. Unbeknownst to them, one of Vivian’s storage lockers was auctioned off due to delinquent payments. In those storage lockers lay the massive hoard of negatives Maier secretly stashed throughout her lifetime. Maier’s massive body of work would come to light when in 2007 her work was discovered at a local thrift auction house on Chicago’s Northwest Side. From there, it would eventually impact the world over and change the life of the man who championed her work and brought it to the public eye, John Maloof.

Currently, Vivian Maier’s body of work is being archived and cataloged for the enjoyment of others and for future generations. John Maloof is at the core of this project after reconstructing most of the archive, having been previously dispersed to the various buyers attending that auction. Now, with roughly 90% of her archive reconstructed, Vivian’s work is part of a renaissance in interest in the art of Street Photography.

“My interest was piqued by food photography when I was doing a 365 project in 2011. Challenge of clicking a pic everyday forced me to look at things closer to home and I picked up on food, as cooking is another passion for me. By the end of 2011 I was selling my food photos on various stock websites and I have been hooked ever since. I usually imply a very simple technique to take food shots, where I extensively use window light as my primary light source, building my food spreads around this light. Light plays the most important role in my photography. Photography for me is a creative outlet and I am a kind of person who would rather not survive if there is no such outlet. I am immensely grateful for taking this up.” ~ Anshu

Mukul Bhatia started photographing at the age of 16, his aesthetics are inspired by Photographer Prabuddha Dasgupta & Jacob Aue Sobol. His love for ‘people’ and their ‘stories’ and his adamant need to add his signature quirkiness to the frame makes his personal work very distinct.

Diego Gómez is a 31 year-old freelance cinematographer, living in Uruguay. He shoots with a Nikon D90 and works with production services for short and feature films, as well as advertising. His images often have a film aesthetic to them and he always hopes to tell a story or communicate an emotion to the viewer with every shot that he takes.

“I’ve been serious about photography for about 3 years now. Every day I look at photos on the Internet and am overwhelmed by the vast talent, technique and perspective of photographers out there. There is so much to learn. My only goal is to get better at taking pictures, and I’m still waiting to hit my stride. This next year I plan to do some traveling, in search of things that ignite my brain; mostly that magical cross-section of civilization where architecture, nature and time compete. I like old stuff.” Rachel Bellinsky

From Berlin, Germany, Frank Knaack was born in 1971. He has been into street photography since May 2010. Frank loves traveling to the world’s largest cities to witness, capture and document everyday life on the streets with his Olympus OM-D E5 with its 20mm and 45mm lenses.